New faces expand test services

TUV Product Service has been busy recruiting over the summer, and various departments have new starters. Andrew Kern has joined as Business Development Manager within the Aerospace, Defence and Industrial Division. Kern initially trained as an electromechanical design engineer before moving into sales and qualifying with a diploma in acoustics.

Now with 18 years international sales and marketing experience, he has worked within the fields of industrial noise and vibration, EMC testing, environmental testing, electronics production and testing and race car data acquisition.

Prabhu Ramkurmar joined during August as Process Improvement Specialist within the Quality Department.

Ramkurmar has been working at Octagon House (TUV Product Service's UK HQ) for the past 2 years as part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the University of Bath but is now a fully fledged member of staff at TUV Product Service.

The company has also recently recruited a new industrial placement student within its Environmental Test Department.

Daniel Bean, a student at Portsmouth University, joined the company on 31st July 2006 and will be based at Octagon House for the next 12 months or so.

The new Health, Safety and Security Manager at TUV Product Service is Mike Howarth who joins the company with a wealth of experience.

Having started work as Marine Engineering Mechanic in the Royal Navy, Howarth was drafted to submarines after the Queen's Silver Jubilee and spent the next 15 years on submarines Oberon, Otus, Sealion and Osiris.

This culminated in the rank of Chief Petty Officer before changing roles to continue life at sea as a Safety and Security Officer on Cruise Ships and later sat the board for Marine Engineering Officer Merchant Navy.

Ashore, Howarth has worked as a confined space and breathing apparatus trainer, Health and Safety Officer Portsmouth Dockyard, health and safety manager in construction and recently as an Industrial Safety Specialist at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston.

Chris Bowles started at Octagon House on 21st August 2006 as an Environmental Engineer having recently graduated from Southampton Solent University with a 2:1 BEng (hons) mechanical engineering with business degree.

Bowles will be joining TUV Product Service's three year graduate programme accredited by the IEE and will be training for professional engineer status.